Braves Infield Pair Claims 2026 Gold Glove Honors

Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubón won Gold Glove Awards on Sunday night, marking the first time the Atlanta Braves have had two players claim the honor in a single season since 2022. The awards recognize the National League’s top defensive performers for the 2026 campaign. Olson received the distinction for first base, while Dubón was named the league’s best utility player.

Olson, 32, has now won the award four times in his career. This places him alongside Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt as the only active first basemen to reach that milestone. He outperformed Ty France of San Diego and T.J. Rumfield of Colorado in the voting. Olson led all major league first basemen in innings played, appearing in all 162 games. He also topped the league in Outs Above Average and overall fielding run value, with 12 in each category.

Dubón, also 32, secured his third career Gold Glove. His versatility was evident in his start distribution across five different positions: 75 in left field, 51 at shortstop, 14 in center field, five at third base, and four at second base. He is the first Atlanta player to win the utility category since Rawlings introduced it in 2022. Dubón has won the award three times in five years, making him the only multi-time winner in the position’s history.

The voting process combines input from field personnel with advanced analytics. Managers and up to six coaches per team cast ballots that account for 75% of the total vote, though they cannot select their own players. The remaining 25% is determined by the SABR Defensive Index, a formula that evaluates range, arm strength, and fielding reliability. A separate calculation using this index determines the utility award winner.

The Braves have claimed 12 Gold Gloves across seven of the last nine seasons, starting in 2018. This current pairing follows a similar achievement by pitcher Max Fried and shortstop Dansby Swanson in 2022. While left-hander Chris Sale and center fielder Michael Harris II were finalists, they lost out to Nolan McLean of the New York Mets and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, respectively.